Analyzing Blackberry Picking Seamus Heaney English Literature Essay

Having read some of Seamus Heaney ‘s verse form before, I have chosen Blackberry-picking to analyze. This is a beautiful verse form that supplies graphic item and smart enunciation. The writer is seeking to relay on a deeper significance by utilizing the simple state of affairs of picking blackberries, even though the topic of the verse form knew that the blackberries would decompose, he still picked and got caught up in the exhilaration. This is to intend that in life, as human beings we all get excited for certain things and believe that we are on cloud nine, but the life bring us back. It ‘s merely a lesson that is ne’er learnt and is ever repeated. After reading this verse form few times I think it is a really good verse form with good quality linguistic communication.

The gustatory sensation of the first berry that was eaten is compared to “ thickened vino ” Heaney used metaphor “ summers blood ” to convey the lunacy of the sweet juice that led to desiring to eat more, ‘lust for picking ‘ . Towards the center of the first stanza shows us the chooser ‘s existent love for blackberry ‘s, they pulled out any available container to roll up their fruit.

The following line tells us how far the kids travelled to pick the fruit, “ unit of ammunition hey Fieldss, maize Fieldss and murphy drills ” Heaney uses onomatopoeia on the 13th line of the 1st stanza, “ clinking undersides ” this suggests the sound off falling berries in the metal containers.

The undermentioned line ‘s tone wholly alterations and gets really violent, “ like a home base of eyes ” , this sounds really glooming and gruesome, so it tells us the kids are non truly bothered by acquiring hurt lone thing they care about is their hungriness for the berries. “ Our custodies were peppered with thorn assholes, our thenars sticky as Bluebeards. ” The last few words in this sentence are really mystical, I do n’t truly understand why Heaney has mentioned Bluebeard, he could be seeking to state that the kids ‘s custodies are covered in blood, due to killing the blackberry ‘s ( in other words the offense they have committed by blowing the blackberries to fulfill their lecherousness and exhilaration ) merely like Bluebeard ‘s were after slaying his married womans in the fairy tale narrative. Here Heaney uses Figurative linguistic communication to give a intension to blood and force. ( “ Our custodies were peppered with thorn assholes, our thenars sticky as Bluebeards. ” )

In the last stanza Heaney discusses what happens to the blackberries after they have been picked, “ we found a pelt ” this is a testament to the greed of the choosers. The ripeness of the blackberries is contrasted with what it subsequently becomes, depicting the fungus as a “ pelt ” is a affectional simile as it create an image in the readers head of what precisely the mouldy blackberries look like, “ rat -grey fungus ” the description besides mentions the coloring material of the fungus, to give more item about how it looks. The poet has given a mention to a gray rat ; this besides could be to make with the fact that rats are really common in Ireland.

The undermentioned line Heaney is talking like a kid. “ I ever felt like shouting. It was n’t just. ” Here Heaney shows us how immature the kids could hold been to be so emotional about the blackberries. The naif linguistic communication used by Heaney, makes the reader feel sorry for the hapless kids.

Once once more Heaney gives another little mention “ all the lovely canfuls smelt of putrefaction. ” Again Heaney is contrasting “ lovely ” with “ putrefaction ” . He is really good at playing with the linguistic communication.

In the last line Heaney references that he ever hoped the blackberries would last, but they ne’er did, like I said before we ne’er learn any lessons from our experiences and we go out and do the same error over and over once more. “ Each twelvemonth I hoped they ‘d maintain, knew they would non. ” Here it tells us that how genitive and passionate the choosers are about blackberries, that each twelvemonth they forget that the blackberries would decompose ; and they end up doing the same error once more and once more.

Heaney uses a personification, as he gives the fungus human quality, which is eating off the delightful blackberries. Seamus Heaney uses different linguistic communication manners in this verse form such as, the verse form gives point of view by an inexperienced person and aroused kid and besides it uses really strong linguistic communication like an annoyed grownup. ( “ Each twelvemonth I hoped they ‘d maintain, knew they would non. ” )

After analyzing this verse form, it has rebelliously deepened my ideas, and I ‘ve come to a decision that this verse form is truly about hope and letdown ( cognizing that things ne’er turn out to be, how we want them to be ) and we should accept that nil is ageless in this universe, alterations are due to go on in clip, and blackberries become a metaphor for the experiences.